St. Pete boy dies in fire after parents' rescue fails

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A 5-year-old boy died in a St. Pete house fire this afternoon after his parents were beaten back by flames while trying to save him.

Emergency crews responded to the fire on 6th St. South just before noon.  St. Pete police say Hassan Vann's mom, dad, and 4-year-old sister were able to make it out safely, but in the chaos of the moment, they thought little Hassan was with them.

Once outside, they discovered that was not the case.  The parents tried to rescue him, but the flames were too much. 

"They tried to break windows to get back inside the home to rescue their son but they just were not able to," explained Rick Shaw of St. Pete police.

When firefighters were finally able to make it inside, it was too late.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear. Investigators remain on the scene.